MARTIN O'Neill hopes Villa can keep up the momentum following their welcome first win in 13 matches against Watford.

The manager will hand debuts to Ashley Young and John Carew at Newcastle tonight while Stiliyan Petrov is also set to return following a hamstring injury.

Newcastle could have Damien Duff, Antoine Sibierski and Titus Bramble back from injury but have a host of other players - including Shay Given, Peter Ramage, Emre, Celestine Babayaro, Charles N'Zogbia, Craig Moore, Shola Ameobi and Michael Owen - still sidelined.

Villa have not been beaten on the ground since November 2001 and while Newcastle have conceded seven goals in two home games against Blues and West Ham, O'Neill does not think those results will have a bearing.

"I don't look at it like that," said O'Neill. "With an FA Cup game you have to take it out of context at times. It was a big surprise, I saw the extended highlights, then the game against West Ham was really end-to-end stuff."

O'Neill, though, is expecting a tough night.

"We have obviously got a lift from winning the Wat-ford game. I just think Newcastle are a fantastic football club with magnificent support," he said.

"Under lights it can be a tremendous atmosphere in a truly great stadium," he added. "I am hoping that we can go up there with a bit of confidence from having won but we know that with the players they have, the boy Obafemi Martins has exploded into it and Kieron Dyer is coming back into real form, it will be difficult for us."

Newcastle look set to clinch the loan signing of American defender Oguchi Onyewu from Standard Liege in time for him to make his debut, while St Etienne's Frederic Piquionne is also said to be close to sealing a move to St James' Park and could feature up front.

"Who knows, by the time we play them they may well have added a couple of players because they are on the look-out now," O'Neill said.